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 Has life been an endless series of opportunities? 

Opportunities...
Life has NOT been an endless series of opportunities for me. 11%  11%  [ 2 ]
Life has been an endless series of opportunities for me. 89%  89%  [ 16 ]
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 Has life been an endless series of opportunities? 
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We've been watching "People Like Us, Social Class in America." One of the people in the film commented that for individuals born into the upper class, or perhaps upper middle class, life is an endless series of opportunities, while it is not for people of the lower classes.

Would you be willing to write in this thread about your own access to opportunities? It is not bragging to admit you have had endless opportunities, nor is it complaining to say you have not had them. This discussion is a way to get to better know others in this classroom while at the same time getting to know yourself better.

PS I'm including a poll on the topic.

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Gayle Turner


Tue Sep 16, 2008 2:26 pm
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Honestly, I believe that life has been a endless series of oppurtunities for me. I have been blessed with a wonderful family. My parents both work and have a financial income that has allowed my family many opportunities that other families may not. Some of the bigger opportunities, for example, (and these are not huge things to some people but really a blessing to others) my sister and I both had our own car and my parents paid for us both to go to college. These are some oppurtinities that some people do not have. I have been able to do some traveling, get scholarships, work, and meet many different people. Every day is an opportunity; it just depends on how you define opportunity. Is oppurtunity some huge monumental thing? or maybe some things we take for granted that we were able to do that many other people do not have the "opportunity" to do? Now on the other hand, some opportinities that I would have liked to work out dont but I have found out later that it was for the best. Like the old saying "When one door shuts, two more open." I think it is important to be positive and look for new opportunities. Opportunities happen when you step outside of your box. Of course it maybe more difficult of some one of "lower class" to see these opportunities and one may have to work harder but opportunitys are always out there.

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Hannah Johnson


Tue Sep 16, 2008 5:30 pm
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I definitely think that life has been an endless series of opportunities for me, even though sometimes I may not think so. I have an amazing family, from my parents to my grandparents to my aunts/uncles. I am well provided for and cared for by my family. They make sure that I have everything that I need, and usually most of the things that I want. Sometimes I catch myself saying, "I wish I drove that car" or "I wish I could shop there", but in reality I am very grateful for the car that I do drive and the clothes that I do have; afterall, a lot of people don't have cars or decent clothes. I also have the opportunity to attend college and live in an apartment, which neither I have to pay for. My parents make sure that I have the necessary funds for my necessities. I am so thankful for this, considering that a lot of college students have to get jobs and provide for themselves, which I cannot imagine having the time for. I can honestly say that I have been given an endless series of opportunities during my lifetime.

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Dana Currin


Tue Sep 16, 2008 10:18 pm
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My life has been an endless series of opportunities just like the other people's. My parents have always provided for me in the best ways they could. I would say my family is in the middle class (maybe in the middle of middle class if that makes sense). They help me out financially when I need it. They have provided me with a decent car to drive but their financial status, after my mom got laid off at work, allowed me to get financial aid (not loans). I support myself a lot too. I was awarded a scholarship for my hard work and good grades in high school (so that helps a bunch with the college funds). I have a small job on campus and that money goes toward my extracurricular needs and wants. I like the responsibility I have because I use the money I make to support myself and feel more independent. I believe your life can be whatever you want it to be, no matter if your parents are able to support you financially or not. I think anyone, no matter their social class, can have an endless series of opportunities in their lifetime.

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Rebecca D. Evans


Wed Sep 17, 2008 7:49 am
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I think my situation is most like Rebecca's. I feel like my life HAS been an endless series of opportunities but not necessarily because my family had a lot of money. My parents worked hard, and gave up a lot for me to have what I needed (and usually what I wanted). I have a car which my parents paid for and they help me financially what they can, however, my tuition and rent are taken care of by my financial aid and scholarships. My parents pushed me to do well and this gave me an open door to lots of opportunities. I am grateful for the way my life has turned out, even if sometimes I find myself envious of others.

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Amanda Klinger


Wed Sep 17, 2008 8:02 am
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Looking at things from a world perspective we are all pretty much given endless opportunities. However, when we look at social class we have not. After all we are very blessed to go to such an excellent college, however, it is still a public university. This is an equalizer if you think about it. I come from a family that has always provided for me as much as possible. My family doesn’t have a high household income. My mother was raised very poor, and when I say very poor I mean didn’t have running water in their house, and my father grew up in a military family so they were ok. Both of my parents work in an industrial setting, and neither of them have a college degree. My father attended ASU and dropped out with a year to go. My parents raised me with the intentions that I would go to college and do better then they did. They tried to instill qualities of character, and class into my personality. In my opinion social class is a real thing, but not everyone who is in that upper echelon of society is “classy.â€

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Jerry Nicole Whitener (Nicole)


Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:13 pm
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I would also agree like most of the other posts that life has been full of endless possibilities. My parents, though now divorced, have always been very supportive of me and my brother. I know at times we didn't appreciate everything either. We were given opportunities to participate in activities that others weren't and we were also given the opportunity to go to college. Looking back it seems that they would have sacrificed anything to see us happy. We were very blessed through them and probably took way too much advantage of them.

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Lauren Jennings


Wed Sep 17, 2008 2:04 pm
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There is no doubt in my mind that my life has been full of endless opportunities. With the support (financial and other) of my parents I have been blessed with the option to follow through with any of the opportunities that I wished to pursue. I came to know at a young age the difference between being given opportunities and having the means to pursue them. For me I haven't had much of a struggle pursuing my dreams whether that was playing a sport, learning a new instrument, or coming here to college. I am grateful for my parent's support and strive to not take this blessing for granted.

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Katie Tyndall


Wed Sep 17, 2008 2:17 pm
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I would definitely consider my life so far to have been filled with limitless opportunities. I have been blessed with a family who was able to provide for my needs as well as my wants. My parents have paid for me to attend private school (K-12), and they have graciously agreed to pay for my undergraduate degree and my gradate degree as well. They have provided me with a car, apartment, and food allowance. They have been able to take us on trips and vacations, as well as allowing us to take piano lessons, cotillion, and play multiple sports in school. I think it is important to say that even though my parents have provided for me, they also instilled a good work ethic in me as well. In my junior of high school my told me that I needed to find a job so that I could learn the value of work and savings. Since then I have continued to work and use the money I earn to pay for my gas and wants (clothes, eating out, ect.) I also worked hard to get a scholarship to Appalachian and have been blessed to continue having that financial support. I think that opportunities can happen to anyone, but as we are learning in class and I have seen in “real lifeâ€

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Kerry Crosby Smith


Wed Sep 17, 2008 7:55 pm
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I found the replies in here interesting. Most consider opportunities as a combination of both financial AND supportive means.

With that said,
Financially, life for me has not been a series of limitless opportunities. I am the oldest of 6 children. Both of my parents finished high school and worked in a furniture factory for most of my childhood. I am a first generation college student. Growing up, we always (and still continue) to get by. No, we don't go hungry or live in a house with no power, but things do get tight often.

HOWEVER, if we're talking about support from those around us, I have been given more than I could ever need. Growing up, the question was always, where do you want to go to college? Not, Do you want to go to college? My parents explained to me at an early age (3rd grade maybe?) that I was going to college. When I got in 6th grade, they added more onto this. They told me that they couldn't pay for my college education. It was up to me to get scholarships, loans, grants, or whatever I needed to go to college. I was always expected to do well in school and I did. When I was in high school I walked into the counselor's office and told her "I am going to college and I need help finding a way to pay for it." To make a long story short...here I am.

I have a great desire to teach in a low income school because I am a walking, talking example of possibility for some students. While I understand that it the strong sense of family support that got me where I am today, perhaps I can help students navigate through the bureaucracy and red tape of getting into and paying for college.

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Nikki Tester


Wed Sep 17, 2008 9:22 pm
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My life has for the most part been a series of opportunities as most of the posts have already mentioned. I not only think of my opportunities in terms of financial means and support from my very loving family but my opportunities in comparison to most people around the world. In comparison to a lot of people in America I am very very fortunate and have been blessed with so many opportunities. Especially in comparison to probably the majority of the people around the world, my opportunities are insanely amazing. I have the opportunity to live in a "free" country which is a lot more than many citizens around the globe can say.

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Emily Suzanne White


Wed Sep 17, 2008 9:55 pm
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I too would agree with just about everyone else here. My life has been filled with an abundance of opportunities. My family has always been there for me and able to supply whatever it is that I need. I have been very blessed. One thing I feel most blessed with is the opportunity to go to college wherever I wanted. I had several offers to play field hockey at different schools (which was a blessing in itself) but money was not something that I had to worry about when making that decision. So I think that my life has definitely been filled with endless opportunities.


Wed Sep 17, 2008 10:34 pm
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I share several similarities with Nikki.

I grew up in a single parent family, with a low income, and a very small amount of child support per month. There were times when we barely got by, but we made it without government help of any kind. My mom provided a roof over my head, food, and the things that I needed. If there were things that I wanted, I might of had to wait a while to get it but mom usually found a way to get it. She always put my wants and needs before hers.

I too, was told that I was going to college. There was no alternative. Even though we may not of known how we were going pay for it, some way or another, I was going to college. Mom pushed me and encouraged me to always succeed in school. I also had encouragement from my aunts. They too wanted me to do well and pushed me along the way.

Now, here I am. Even though I am from a single-parent, low income family, I feel that I have succeeded. I have had the opportunity to experience new and great things. The financial factor does play a part in life, but I have been blessed what I have had. I am thankful for all the events that have shaped my life.

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Justin McCrary


Wed Sep 17, 2008 10:38 pm
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I feel that I come from a middle class family, who has been very blessed. No, I was not able to get every single thing that I wanted but I was able to have everything I needed and lots of my wants as well. My parents and my older sisters are very supportive and want the best for me and our family is very close. I think this makes a great environment for many opportunities. I guess I would have to say that I have had great access to opportunities, but it wasn't all because of money.

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Brittany Norman


Wed Sep 17, 2008 10:49 pm
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I would say that my life has been filled with endless opportunities for many reasons:

1. Even though I am not rich by any means, my parents have always been able to provide the things I needed. (But very rarely have they been able to provide all the things I wanted.)
2. Ever since I was 15, I have had at least 2 jobs at 1 time. (Not necessarily working both jobs at the same time.) Through working those jobs, I have grown as a person, learned a lot, and was able to make money to use however I wanted and provide me with the things my parents wouldn't provide.
3. I do not come from a well-educated family. From the get-go, I should have been last in my class and struggled with all aspects of learning. However, because I was provided the opportunity to attend school and to make decisions for myself, I chose to succeed and to work hard in school. Because of that, I did well in school and I'm doing exceptionally well in college.
4. Ever since I was little, my parents instilled the mentality in me that I can be and do whatever I want as long as I put my mind to it and work hard.

This past weekend, I went to a Christian Women's Conference at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. The last speaker of the weekend said something that has had a huge impact on me the past few days and will continue to in the future. The speaker was Thelma Wells and she said, "God has given you everything you need to become the person He wants you to be and to do the things He wants you to do. If you don't live up to all that you can be and can do, it's only your fault." Now, whether you are a Christian and/or believe in God or not, I think we can all take away something from that quote. Think about it.

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April Wilkinson


Thu Sep 18, 2008 12:21 pm
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I would have to say that for the majority of my life that it has been full of endless opportunity. Being from a middle class family their wasn't much that my parents wouldn't let me do, or fund for me to do if it was for the en betterment of myself. My parents have funded a lot of extra curricular activities, in fact I cant remember the last time my parents told me no they wouldn't pay for something that could benefit me. Sometimes I think that I just have a lot of luck and that one day it will run out, but I think its probably just my parents.


Thu Sep 18, 2008 1:01 pm
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My life has for the most part been an endless amount of opportunities as well. I have never really been without or needed anything throughout my whole life that I didn’t get. Sure there have been times were I didn't get all that I wanted, but that would have just made me selfish and spoiled. I would say that I’m middle class as well, because since my parents are divorced and have remarried (to other people that is) I really have different social classes, but are still in the middle class range. With my mom it is a lower class than my dad, but even though my mom is much less financially stable she was always the one to give me anything that I ever needed. Not that my dad didn't but he was less giving with his prospects. Like many other people who were blessed with the opportunities to have been given a car, I was not. Even though between both of my families they would have been able to finance me in that aspect I was never given that opportunity. Instead I would have had to achieve it my self, which I could have reached due to the fact that I’ve always been employed and had my own money, but chose to save and spend my money for different future opportunities. I have also had to finance myself through college by loans, financial aid, and scholarships. Although, I still have that reassurance that others may not have had, that even though I still am independently financed I could still lean on my family for financial help if need be. So overall I believe that I am privileged in many ways other than money and feel very blessed to have had the uprising that I’ve had because I believe that it has made me into a strong, understanding, and successful person.


Thu Sep 18, 2008 1:27 pm
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Like almost everyone else, I have been given endless opportunities. My family doesn't live extravagantly, but we live well. There is nothing that we need that we don't have, and we get some of what we want too. Like many others have said, my opportunities have been provided by both financial ability and loving support by my family. My parents have always encouraged me to search out what God has for me to do, and to do it wholeheartedly, and they have supported me all the way.


Fri Sep 19, 2008 8:37 am
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Yes, I honestly and quite bluntly feel like my life has for the most part been one of limitless opportunity. That is financial opportunity, parental support, and most everything else. There was never any question as to whether I would be provided with food whenever I wanted it, a car when I could drive, enough clothes to choose from everyday, and family trips each year. My parents pay my college with the exception of a potential teacher scholarship that I got. They pay all of my bills except my gas which I pay for as I need it for my car. Some would call this spoiled, but it is just the way I have been brought up. While I have more than certainly been provided for, I do not in any way take it for granted. I appreciate the fact that my family is very supportive and financially stable enough, through education and work I might add, to support me as I was growing up and even now, when I am 20 years old and when they have another daughter at UVA.

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Alison K. Scott


Sat Sep 20, 2008 6:18 pm
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I would like to add that I have had a job since I was 16, and I don't ask my parents for this much assistance (to go along with the not taking advantage of my situation.) It has always been this way, and they are able to. I work every morning at 7:15 teaching a class of wonderful three year olds. However, in a way I consider this a great "opportunity" as well. I am blessed to have a job that I love with amazing children even though I get up at 6 am everyday to make money for myself before going to class all day.

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Alison K. Scott


Sat Sep 20, 2008 6:20 pm
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